Planet Lean: The Official online magazine of the Lean Global Network
Unlocking the potential of Lean in NGOs

Unlocking the potential of Lean in NGOs

Lynne Smith
April 4, 2024

INTERVIEW - In this interview, Lynne Smith discusses the potential and difficulties of applying Lean Thinking to NGOs and looks back at the lean transformation at the Gates Foundation.


Interviewee: Lynne Smith, former Director of Business Design at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Interviewers: Roberto Priolo and Steve Bell


A big thank you to Lynne for sharing her knowledge and experience, and to Steve Bell for making this interview happen!


THE INTERVIEWEE

Lynne Smith is former Director of Business Design at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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What this leader has learned in 40 years at Toyota Australia
May 2, 2018
What this leader has learned in 40 years at Toyota Australia

PROFILE – What does one learn from working for Toyota over 40 years? This Australian leader has developed a unique holistic view, and a strong set of technical and social skills.

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The ball is in our court
May 28, 2020
The ball is in our court

CASE STUDY – The author, who leads the CI team in a large real estate company, discusses the lean transformation of the business and role of the improvement team in it.

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The power of visual thinking
September 7, 2020
The power of visual thinking

FEATURE – How does visual thinking practically help an organization? The author discusses three different ways in which it can be used to benefit a business and help it to improve itself.

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How segmenting the work helped a developer see problems
January 11, 2018
How segmenting the work helped a developer see problems

FEATURE – In the second article in our series with Theodo, the CTO tells us about an experiment that showed how problem solving is easier when the job is clearly defined.

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An NGO uses lean principles to rebuild New Orleans
June 4, 2015
An NGO uses lean principles to rebuild New Orleans

CASE STUDY – Following one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history, an NGO started to use lean management principles to speed up the reconstruction of homes in the Louisiana city… and the results were impressive.

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Lean project boosts sustainable development in Myanmar
September 1, 2016
Lean project boosts sustainable development in Myanmar

FEATURE – A group of Italian researchers and professionals partnered with a NGO to prove how lean thinking can pave the way for the competitiveness and sustainable development of SMEs in Myanmar. Is this a new model for the developing world?

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Supporting Sri Lankan society by transforming our company
January 19, 2018
Supporting Sri Lankan society by transforming our company

INTERVIEW – Prior to his talk at this year’s Lean Transformation Summit, the CEO of a large apparel manufacturer tells us about the company’s lean journey, and its impact on Sri Lankan society.

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How to harness lean to foster innovation and improve society
April 4, 2017
How to harness lean to foster innovation and improve society

FEATURE – We spend a lot of time talking about innovation, but what is the actual impact of leveraging lean to achieve it? As the author points out, the potential is huge, provided certain conditions are met.

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